This invention relates to a beverage brewing apparatus with a reconfigurable control assembly permitting the apparatus to be used in any of several orientations.
Many forms of beverage brewing apparatus are in common use in commercial as well as consumer settings. One type of beverage brewing apparatus is a siphon type having a generally "C" shaped body. A heating pad is positioned below an overhanging portion which supports a brewer basket for holding a brewing substance therein. A spray head is positioned above the brewer basket and feeds heated water into the basket to infuse the brewing substance for producing a brewed beverage. A decanter is placed on the heating pad below the brewer funnel for catching the brewed beverage which flows therefrom.
In manufacturing beverage brewing apparatus it is desirable to minimize the number of different parts among various models so a to minimize parts inventories, parts accounting, parts production costs, and especially to simplify field repair, repair training, and machine complexity. Because of the wide spread use of such beverage brewing apparatus, it is desirable to provide an apparatus which can accommodate a variety of space limitations. For example, if a brewer is purchased by a restaurant and the brewer must be relocated, it would be beneficial for the owner to be able to move the brewer to a new location with little regard for the space limitations of the new location.
It also would be desirable for a manufacturer of such apparatus to produce only one machine instead of several discrete machines to accommodate a variety of settings. For example, in some settings the surface on which the brewer is located, a counter top for instance, may vary in dimension. Some counter tops may be narrow, others may be wider. One setting may require control of the apparatus and loading of the brewer basket from the front of the machine while another may require control and basket loading from the left or right side of the machine. However, if the location of the controls and the support for the brewer basket on the device are fixed, the device may be prohibited from use in one setting or the other. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a brewing apparatus which can be configured for use on a wide counter and reconfigured for use on a narrow counter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,888 to Webster et al. shows a beverage brewer which appears to permit a control panel to be placed in one of three locations and permits funnel supporting rails to be likewise positioned. However, the device shown in Webster et al. has several limitations.
First, the device requires that an enlarged opening be formed through the housing to accommodate the movable switch panel. Such a large opening compromises the structural integrity of the brewer apparatus. Second, the switches are mounted directly to the panel. This arrangement disturbs all of the devices attached to the panel when only one of the devices, such as a switch or an indicator light may need replacement. Third, the two rails supporting the brewer basket beneath the spray head are independent pieces and require numerous pieces of hardware for attachment to the brewer. These shortcomings result in increased service time when servicing the device in the field and increased parts inventories and accounting. Therefore, it appears that the device to Webster et al. does not overcome all of the problems or satisfy all of the requirements of the users of such a device.